Career Advice

These marauders are easy to identify, but difficult to deal with. Left to their own devices, they will run amok. They can disrupt your career path.

Turf Hogs work hard at gaining credit for the ideas and work of others. They assume authority where none has been granted. They claim to be team players while invading the territory of others.

When confronted, their usual defense is “Who, me? I was just trying to be a team player and help others for the good of the organization.”

Career Tip: If you want career success, you most likely will have to deal with Turf Hogs at some point.

My Experience At American Express

I encountered one of The Kings of The Turf Hogs during my career at American Express. Fred Y. was a peer on the organization chart. His ambitions were far reaching, including having my position as Senior Vice President-Corporate Communications report to him instead of the CEO.

He often went behind my back to second guess decisions that my staff had made. He would come by their offices for a visit just (he said) “to see how things were going”. He presumed to give them directions. He “suggested” that I attend “his” meetings where he asked for a report on my activities. When I couldn’t attend, because of a conflict in my schedule, he complained to the CEO, “Ramon is not a team player.”

When I confronted him, he would go into the “Who, me?” mode, accusing me of not being a team player.

What’s To Be Done With Turf Hogs?

Career Advice: Dealing with Turf Hogs requires patience and a careful touch. Their I-was-only-trying-to-help rationale is hard and dangerous to cope with without appearing to be overly protective of your turf.

First of all, you must be certain that the Turf Hog’s actions are damaging the organization; and that you are not simply protecting your own zone.

When the Turf Hogs’ credit grabs move beyond irritation to erosion of your responsibilities, it’s time to confront the culprit.

Invite him to meet with you in your office. Make it a closed- door situation. Be ready with a detailed list of his transgressions.

Cite more than one clear-cut example of your complaint with his actions. Be sure to document damage done. Fashion your position along these lines:

“I see by your recent memorandum to the boss that you have some ideas about how I can do a better job. I appreciate your taking the time to offer suggestions about how to do my job, particularly since I am sure you have a full time job just carrying out your own responsibilities.

“Don’t misunderstand me. I can use all of the help I can get. But I expect you to come directly to me with your ideas. I know what my responsibilities are and the priorities our boss has assigned to me. And I know what yours are.”

Chances are The Hog will fall back on the “Who, me?” dodge.

Restate examples of your point. Detail damage done. It’s a good idea to continue along this line: “As I see it, we both are charged with doing our jobs in such a way that we can achieve the objectives the boss has laid out for us. The best way to do that is to respect each others’ responsibilities and authorities as we work together.”

Don’t be surprised if your Turf Hog spreads the word to the boss and others that you are not a team player. Be prepared to make your case to The Boss if he asks you for an explanation. Demonstrate that you are a team player.

Career Tip: Don’t expect The Turf Hog to change, but you can keep the beast at bay if you take a strong, fact-based stand against his encroachments. It worked for me

with Fred Y.

Whosoever said that your professional career starts only after you graduate from college or is only partly right. If you don’t include career planning as the fundamental stepping stone for your future, you will be doing yourself a disservice. Yes, your career can wait until you are out of college but planning can’t. Whether you are a new grad or a professional seeking to switch gears, now is the right time to consider your options.

Starting Early

No matter how much professional experiences you acquire, developing a list of positive choices is always going to be difficult and no matter what. It is commonly accepted that proper planning must be perfected. This theory stems from the idea that thinking alot allows for refining and correcting before you put the plan into action. While you are still in the planning stages and possibly your current position, you have the advantage of having time on your side when you can correct the nuances without scathing your face.

Career Planner for New Grads and Seasoned Professionals

The career planner here is broad-based so that anyone wanting to make a specific career choice will be able to adopt this to their specific circumstances.

1. Listen to your mentors: Mentors are very important factors in your career development. Discuss with them what they think would be a good career move for you, based on their observations. They have probably experienced missed opportunities or observed someone failing, so they potentially know better than you do in this area.

2. Identify your area of interest: Throughout your career, you probably have had some ideas that you weren’t able to implement due to circumstances. You can convert some of them if you play your cards right here. Identify those areas that interest you most and think seriously about them. Discuss the pros and cons of them with your mentor, a career coach and your significant other.

3. Know your strengths and weaknesses: Analyzing your strengths and weaknesses will tell you a lot about yourself and your suitability for a certain career. You will know where and what you are lacking, leaving room for you to developing the skills you need for a given profession. This is an opportunity for you to minimize your weaknesses by honing and polishing your strengths.

4. Set your goals: Have a reasonably broad spectrum of area of interests so that you can broaden your goals. The broader the goal, the greater your chances are of achieving it. Setting narrower goals demand larger task preparations and leaves you with stiffer competition.

5. Set up a time frame: Set up a timetable for acquiring/honing skills based on the realities of the market and your situation.

6. Go for it: This is the actual preparation stage when you need to get down to the specifics of needs of your chosen career. Work hard on them, including broadening your knowledge base. Strengthen your aptitudes in areas such as statistics. This helps you stand a better chance of moving up the career ladder, especially if you are considering a career in Six Sigma, which is a growing field requiring expertise in the use of statistical tools.

An individual, possessing valuable skills yet gets a job incongruous to his ability, often suffers frustration, discontentment, and lack of interest in performing his work. Because cases of job mismatching are relatively high in all regions of the world, some people have come up with the best possible solution to alleviate this depreciating social condition. Nowadays, career aptitude tests are readily available online so as to help job-seekers determine their current skills and their tendency to work. A construction career assessment test to help them to make their own ability to understand and facilitate them in the best career decisions.

A career assessment test or plant resources an individual ability to acquire an understanding with respect to his or her own innate, or helping him or her recognize the best career choices that best suits his or her skills. It can provide accurate and definitely blueprint for success based on theindividual’s intrinsic talents or aptitudes. Some of these tests help you find out your personality type and help you concentrate on careers which are best suited for your personality traits. These tests are usually utilized to appraise ability in certain skills. They certainly try to unearth the kinds of jobs that would utterly pique your interest and would definitely make you highly motivated.

If a subject matter interests you, it is most expected that you will advance it with the essential skills in order to make it into a lucrative career. Such career aptitude tests find for areas of your preference and match them to careers where they can be further ameliorated and advanced. Indeed, it can be instrumental while creating a changeover from one line of work to another. Today, career aptitude tests are being customarily utilized to provide for a better match of the abilities of job-seekers to job requirements.

One should therefore take a look as to how these tests can help in making an informed choice of career. Try taking up more than a couple of career aptitude tests or assessments and then make a comparison of the results. They will indeed help you acquire a wider perspective of your innate skills. Various questionnaires can totally aid you with alternate views. It will set the course for introspection.

Now all you need to do is to search for dependable tests which are based on psychometric knowledge. In totality, career aptitude tests are in naturally broad-spectrum and do not put forward personalized career strategies. Aside from career aptitude tests, one can also seek the aid of a career counselor. But generally speaking, both the career counselor and online or offline career aptitude tests will effectively help you in narrowing down the range of career choices that might be suitable for you.

So always remember the saying by the wise men that “only fools rush in”, so never rush into looking for a job without knowing first the skills that you have as of the time being. If you want to become successful, then try to follow the discussion above as it is heavily based on reliable information and facts.

Deciding to take A Levels, and deciding which A levels to take, can be an exciting, involved and sometimes challenging process. While you are looking into possible university courses and considering the pre-requisites required, it is the perfect time to think about the types of jobs that you would be happy doing.

Many Different Jobs

In previous eras, people tended to stick with one job for a very, very long time. While this may be still true today, there is a greater tendency for people to change careers and move from industry to industry. Although it is important to have clearly defined career goals, you should try not to limit yourself. When deciding on which subjects to choose, think carefully about the types of jobs you may be interested in, and consider the skills and abilities that you may require. A bit of research is vitally important, so that you can make sure that you are heading in the right direction.

Money Is Not Everything

Some people spend many, many years working in jobs they dislike because they choose their career path based on money and potential earnings. While financial stability is important for everyone, it should not be the only thing that you think of when choosing a job. Where do your interests lie? What are you good at? What are you passionate about? These are important questions that you should ask yourself before embarking on further study and training.

Experience Counts

Keep in mind that employers care about experience and value it very highly. While you are studying for A levels, make sure that you get as much work experience as possible. Similarly, when you are at university or college, try to ensure that you engage with volunteer work opportunities, work experience programmes and projects.

Make the World A Better Place

Many people find that they are happy if they make the decision to work for socially and ethically responsible companies and organisations. If you can’t find a company that you like, create your own business. A job that you love, and are good at, will give you a sense of purpose and achievement and enrich your life.

Changing your career can be an exciting and self-awakening experience, and can help you finally reach your true potential. Bear in mind though that as changing careers is a major decision, you have to seriously assess and evaluate the possibilities and opportunities prior to making a change.

First, you need to establish why a change of career is necessary. There could be any number of reasons for this, not limited to a dislike of your manager or employer, limited growth opportunities, or just boredom. Should the problem be rectifiable, then the necessary measures should be taken, maybe switching to a different department, or starting work at another company in the same industry; if not, a change of career is a step that is needed for you to continue to grow both personally and in a professional capacity.

Making a self-assessment is the next step to be taken. Assess your interests, skills and experience in relation to what you have done in the past, both at work and in your own time. Examine your likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, and areas of interest. Doing so clears and focuses your mind as to what exactly it is that you want to do and achieve next.

Make a shortlist of careers based on your desires and skills. Seek advice from colleagues, friends and family. Narrow your list of possibilities down to a few and start researching them online. Weigh up the benefits and drawbacks of each career on your list, and take a few days, or even longer, to come to a final decision.

Lastly, you will need to write out a detailed action plan and set achievable and measurable objectives. Do not forget that a change of career requires patience; it sometimes takes a great deal of time to follow through with. If it is something that you really want though, determination, hard work and adherence to your specified plan will ultimately see you succeed.

Homeland security specialists are charged with protecting the territory of the United States of America. They are America’s domestic barrier against terrorist threats and attacks. The primary goal of homeland security specialists is to develop programs that work towards early detection of an impending attack and thus creating an environment of security across the country.

These security specialists work under the US Department of Homeland Security. Since the methods and techniques used by terrorists are always changing, the homeland security specialist must constantly think through new strategies that boost the Agency’s capacity to deal with and prevent terrorist threats.

Another key responsibility of a homeland expert in security is communication. When countering a terrorist threat, every minute counts. Communication must not only be swift but clear too. These homeland security experts must communicate with other law enforcement agencies at local, state and federal level and ensure a well coordinated response.

To be able to do discharge their jobs effectively, security specialists must have a strong grasp of the laws that govern the territories of the United States as well as the specific laws that relate to monitoring, investigating and prosecuting terrorism related incidents. Recent regulation around terrorism has been formulated by the Department of Homeland Security and thus these specialists are relied on as the point of reference for such legislation.

So what is required if you want to be a specialist in homeland security?

Well, first you must provide proof of United States citizenship. As with any law enforcement role, you must also pass a security clearance and a background information check to ensure that you do not have a criminal record or any other situation from your past that might compromise you or prevent you from discharging your duties efficiently.

On education, an associate or bachelor degree in Homeland Security or a related discipline is preferred. Even though an associate degree is acceptable, the higher the level of academic credentials you can provide, the better the chances of standing out from competing applicants and further advancing your career once you are hired.

There are additional forms of training that will place you at an advantage during the recruitment. These include emergency medical response and evacuation training, previous experience working in the military, a law enforcement agency, a security firm or a private investigator. Serving in another law enforcement agency or in the military is often used to substitute up to two years of university education.

Due to the changing nature of threats to the US from the more easy to define country adversaries of times past (e.g. as was the case in World War I and II as well as during the Cold War) to a more amorphous set of enemies as demonstrated by modern day terrorist groups, the role of the homeland security specialist is particularly important. For this reason, the pay package for a homeland security specialist is significantly higher than other agencies.

If you are interested in becoming a security specialist for your homeland, I urge you to do a little more research on the career. You can do this by visiting websites that cover the profession in more detail.

Note: Please feel free to reprint or republish this article. The only requirement is that the links be live links.

There is only one thing worse than delivering bad news to your boss. That is not raising the red flag when you know trouble is brewing, because it is a cardinal sin to let your boss be surprised.

No organization escapes the negatives forever. Budgets are not met. Deliveries are late. Machines don’t work. People are caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

It is important to your career success to learn how to deliver ill tidings, as well as how to receive them.

There are at least four major things wrong with failing to blow the whistle when stuff hits the fan.

First, ignoring bad stuff won’t make it go away. It’s bound to surface sooner or later, probably at the worst possible time.

Second, most problems can be fixed, wholly or in part, if addressed soon enough.

Third, left unattended, most problems simply get bigger and more difficult with time.

Fourth, when you fail to report the bad news, you are leaving your boss vulnerable to being blindsided with a problem and the accusation from his boss that he doesn’t have control of his organization.

Forget any notion that you may be a hero when you have to carry the problems to your boss, no matter who’s at fault. Chances are you will take some bruises; whistleblowers are not popular. In ancient times, kings cut off the heads of messengers who brought bad news.

Five Steps To Defuse The Situation

There is really no easy way to report disappoints and shortfalls; however, you can take five steps to help defuse the situations and ease the pain.

1. Have all of the facts in hand. Report them succinctly; no dodging and ducking.

2. Be patient; let the boss vent his or her anger and frustration.

3. Offer a solution, or at least some way to cut the losses.

4. Don’t be defensive. If you are solely to blame, take the heat yourself; don’t try to lay it off on others. However, if a group of which you are a part is at fault be sure you report in the “we” mode. Try to depersonalize the matter as much as possible.

5. Be sure to make a practice of reporting good news, too. Avoid being identified as one who always bears ill tidings.

How To Receive Bad News

Just as it is important to quickly and accurately report bad news, it is necessary to know how to handle the storm warnings that are reported to you. These four steps will help.

1. Stay calm and collected when an associate reports bad news to you. If you have a reputation of blowing up when such reports are made, you discourage the flow of information that is necessary to function as a leader.

2. Don’t go off half-cocked. Gather all the facts: who, what, when, where, why? Define the locale, type and extent of the problem as quickly as possible. Assess the damage. And double-check your information.

3. Initiate damage control ASAP.

4. Report the situation to your boss in the same fashion as you expect to be reported to. If you have been able to clear up the problem, report it anyway. Get credit for handling the matter without taking up his time.

If you have not been able to eliminate the problem, explain the steps you have already taken to prevent further damage, along with your recommendations for getting rid of the cause of the problem.

Hopefully, you are working for an organization where the messenger gets shot only if he’s late with the news.

There is a lot of concern over today’s economy and the possible employment issues, (please note that the employment picture looks very strong), it could bring.

There are many whom are looking for answers to some tough questions:

“What should I do if there are lay-offs and downsizing?”

“I can see “the writing on the wall” should I wait it out or do something now?”

“Should I get my Resume ready now, before it’s too late?”

These are all legitimate concerns. I have tried to bring you a concise and usable guide to working in a recession based economy, but these actions work equally well in a strong economy, so whatever happens here’s to your success .

1. Work Harder / Be More Productive.

If the economy gets to the point that lay-offs or downsizing happen at your place of employment. You will be less likely to leave by the side door if you are seen to have value and worth by management. A highly productive employee is even more valuable in time of trouble.

2. Contribute Solutions…Don’t Be A Problem

Is the workload getting heavier on fewer workers? If you are one of the luckier ones that are still employed ,come up with some bright ideas. Make the whole process run smoother. Be creative…take a leadership role…One who is part of the solution is harder to let go than one who is part of the problem.

3. Avoid the moaners and the “poor me” victims in the workplace.

Look frankly they may have been your friends when things were good but these people are the ones that do not rise to the occasion they are the ones that just give up. They say they understand but all they DO is complain and point out how hard it is and how bad they have it now. Avoid them! Their negativity is contagious and like a disease it spreads, makes a company ill and can be fatal to your employment!

4. Get your Resume in tip-top shape ready to use at a moments notice.

Even when you do all you can sometimes things can go bad. But you should be expecting that…right? It’s the nay sayers I mentioned above that “pretend” they had no warning. So…be ready…take action now if you see the writing on the wall. It’s a lot better than not being ready! I suggest getting your Resume written by a Professional Certified Resume Writer. They will put you at the top of the list make you stand out and get you Job Interviews and Job Offers.

Only 55 percent of workers earning more than $50,000, and 45 percent of those earning less than $15,000 per year say they are satisfied with their jobs, according to a survey by The Conference Board.

What’s going on here? This is serious stuff. Those findings ought to set off alarm bells with employers and employees alike.

Job Tip: It’s a proven fact that workers who enjoy their jobs are more productive and successful; therefore, for their employers’ bottom lines benefit. At the same time, employees who find satisfaction in their work earn more, and enjoy better health, both mental and physical.

Career Advice: How do you feel about your job? If you are among the huge number of those who are “unsatisfied” with the path of your career, it’s time to get cracking with an action plan to improve your life on the job. Left uncorrected such a state of mind slowly but surely breeds frustration and ennui, which in turn sap your strength and abilities to build a successful career.

Rate Your Job Satisfaction

The first step is to take inventory of your career goals and where you stand in reaching them. Rate each of the following points on a scale of one to ten. The higher the number the more satisfied you are.

1. The total of your compensation: your paycheck, your benefits including health insurance, savings and retirement and vacation.

2. Your balance between work and time-off.

3. Your workload.

4. Your chances for advancement.

5. Your job itself.

6. Your boss relationships.

7. Your work environment.

Take the total of your ratings and divide the number by seven. Still on the scale of one to ten, how satisfied are you with your career path?

Now, move to step three by answering these questions:

1. What changes can make to raise your satisfaction level to the seven to eight range in your present job?

2. Is the shortfall in your satisfaction score due to external forces that surround your job?

3. Is your dissatisfaction of your own making?

Are You At Fault?

Career Advice: If the problems are of your own making, you must know that they will follow you wherever you go until you make corrections in your own thinking.

If you are not convinced that you can achieve a seven or eight score on your present job it’s time to consider looking elsewhere for career success.

Whatever, you do, if you are not reasonably well satisfied with your life at work take action this day.

Remember the frog. Put him in a pot of cool water and set it over a flame. The frog will frolic about happily as the water goes from cool to warm. He will continue to adapt, swimming about contentedly, even as the water begins to simmer. It is not until the water reaches the boiling point that the frog finally recognizes he is in serious trouble and tries to get out. But by that time, his strength has been sapped and it is too late.

Face the fact, you are the master of your own destiny. The reading on your satisfaction scale is the result of your own efforts.

Children are taught to be individuals and to do whatever it is that makes them happy, regardless of whether they ‘fit in’ or not. This idealist view that people do not need to fit in with others to have a happy and fulfilling life is a great one, but rarely proves to be effective. So many people actually value their own self-worth on how well they mesh with others and how effective they are at fitting in wherever they go. When it comes to the workplace, no one wants to stick out because that will draw unwanted attention. Here are some tips for fitting in at a new job, no matter what that job is.

-Don’t set yourself apart from the beginning. Go in with the mindset that you are going to make new friends and get to know people, no matter how the place seems. If you are quiet, some will understand that you are shy. Others might mistake it for arrogance. Don’t let yourself gain a reputation for being stuck-up when you aren’t at all.

-If you are arrogant, don’t be – unless you want to be ostracized and the center of many conflicts. Save the attitude for somewhere else. You might say that it doesn’t matter what others think, but your attitude can affect your job, and you shouldn’t let it do that.

-Figure out where your place is in the hierarchy of your new job, and don’t overstep the boundaries. Many people feel threatened by new people who come in and don’t know their place. Therefore, they have a tendency to create conflicts or cause problems for the new person, even if it is completely unprofessional and unwarranted. Territorial issues are human nature.

-If all else fails, just do your job and go home. You don’t have to make friends, because it is work after all. You don’t have to be well liked, although it will help you in the long run to do your job more effectively. If you’re struggling to fit in and can’t figure out how to do so, just do your job and then go home when the day is done.

You don’t always have to ‘fit in’ in the workplace. It can make your job easier, but sometimes it just won’t work. If the people at your job are not accepting of you or make it nearly impossible for you to create your place in the business, then you can just do what you’re paid to do and go home. It won’t be as comfortable for those who stick out in a new job, but it ultimately doesn’t matter as long as the job is done. These tips should help you to find your place and feel more at ease in your new job.